PbS News

2019 PbS Scholarship Fund

We are excited to announce that the Performance-based Standards (PbS) Scholarship Fund is now accepting applications! The PbS Scholarship Fund was established in 2016 to inspire and encourage youths and staff in facilities participating in PbS to continue their academic learning by awarding grants to help offset the costs of post-secondary education. The 2019 Scholarship Fund has $6,000 available that will be given to two youths and two staff in awards up to $2,000.

To apply, eligible youth and staff must complete the PbS Scholarship Application Form, write a one-page essay describing how the applicant will use their education to better the lives of others, provide a letter of recommendation, and provide documentation or verification of acceptance into the educational program.

Please note the letter of recommendation requirement is brand new to this year’s application. We are requesting no more than 250 words from someone that knows the career or educational goals of the applicant. Youth applicants may submit a recommendation from a teacher, facility staff or other adult who knows their educational goals. Staff applicants may submit a recommendation from an educator or supervisor.

The application period for 2019 is March 1 through May 1. You may submit your entry by mail, email, or online upload through the PbS website. Before beginning your application, please real the full Scholarship Fund eligibility and rules. To help you get inspired, we suggest reading some quotes from past winners on how this award has impacted their lives!

Friday, March 1, 2019 at 12:13 PM

Barbara Allen-Hagen Application Tips

The application period for the 2019 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award is now open! The PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award is presented annually to one long-term correction facility, one short-term detention or assessment center and one community residential program that best demonstrates success using PbS’ data-driven improvement model.

This year’s application asks three open-ended questions to describe why, how and what applicants did using the facility improvement plan (FIP) process. To help make this year’s application as successful as possible, make sure you review each of the following steps as you prepare your application. As always, thank you for your ongoing commitment to treating all youths as one of your own.

Tip 1: Review this year’s requirements.

• Determine eligibility and get your PbS team together to start thinking about your story.

• Applications are accepted February 1 through March 31, 2019, and we encourage you to get an early start on the questions.

• For a special bonus, applications received by 11:59 PM EDT on Monday, March 18, will be eligible for great PbS prizes drawn during the Pre-Data Collection DLW on Wednesday, March 20!

Tip 2: Read the questions carefully.

• This may seem obvious, but it is such an important thing to remember and that’s why we encourage you to start early!

• Answers should address each component of all questions to ensure a strong response. Be mindful that each open-ended question has a word count limit.

• A good application shows where you started, why you decided to start there and what you did to make change happen. It’s important to remember the purpose of the application – to share your program’s accomplishments!

Tip 3: Be specific, but brief.

• We all know that true improvement and change at a facility or program is a team effort. Reflect on the ways the leadership and the team have worked together to make change happen and give some clear examples of the challenges and successes your team experienced along the way.

• Present specific examples of the interventions you mention in your application. Your story can motivate and guide others looking to meet a similar goal.

• Provide supporting data to show progress related to how your focus subject has changed over time using your improvement plan.

Tip 4: Get inspired!

• Watch some of the winner’s videos from previous years and seek out finalist and winner’s blog posts to get motivated about your program’s improvements and your own application!

• Reapplying with new accomplishments is highly encouraged!

Contact your PbS Coach or the PbS Help Desk if you have any questions.

Tuesday, February 5, 2019 at 3:11 PM

2019 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award and Kids Got Talent Contest

Performance-based Standards (PbS) proudly presents a PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award each year to one long-term correction facility, one short-term detention or assessment center and one community residential program for living out the PbS mission to treat all youths in custody as one of our own. Facilities submit the facility improvement plan (FIP) that best demonstrates their commitment to continuous improvement for a chance to be honored at the annual Awards Night in Boston and a professionally produced video of their program.

We encourage you to start working on your Barbara Allen-Hagen Award application as soon as possible. If you submit the application by 11:59 PM EDT on Monday, March 18, your facility will be eligible for great PbS prizes drawn during the Pre-Data Collection DLW on Wednesday, March 20!

To submit an application, sign in to the PbS website and find the application under My PbS > Surveys.

The PbS Kids Got Talent Contest is a staff favorite and a tangible reminder of why we do what we do. Since 2015, we have seen an incredible array of talents from clever magicians to gifted musicians. We encourage all youths in PbS facilities to express their creativity and show off their talents, either as a group or a solo performance. The top solo performer will also be invited to the annual Awards Night, to perform live!

PbS Announces 2018 Scholarship Award Recipients

Performance-based Standards (PbS) is pleased to announce the four outstanding applicants selected to receive the 2018 PbS Scholarship Awards. The PbS Scholarship Fund was established in 2016 to inspire, encourage and support youths and staff in PbS facilities pursuing their education. This year’s scholarship fund awarded a total of $6,000.

Two youths and two staff were chosen from a pool of 62 exceptional applications to receive up to $2,000 to advance their education.

Congratulations to:

• Naomi P., a youth at Good Shepherd Services - Rose House, New York City. She will receive $2,000 to assist with the cost of her Cosmetology program at the Aveda Institute. Naomi’s dream is to make other people feel special and employ young girls in a situation similar to hers.

• Stephen K., a youth at Camp Tillamook, Oregon. Stephen was awarded a $1,000 scholarship to assist with a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management. Stephen is a third time recipient with an incredible GPA and an inspiring dedication to his education.

• Elizabeth F., a staff member of Echo Glen Children's Center, Washington. Elizabeth will receive $2,000 to assist with her Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice from the University of Washington. Her goal of improving a generation of juveniles will take her to obtaining a Master’s in Criminal Justice or Social Work in the future.

• Demarie K., counselor at Decker Lake Youth Center, Utah. She will receive $1,000 to assist with her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Prescott College. She will be specializing in equine-assisted mental health to accomplish her dream of working for a “treatment center that uses experiential therapy modalities.”

We applaud our four remarkable recipients and thank everyone that applied for the 2018 PbS Scholarship Award.

PbS Announces 2018 Employment Matching Award

Performance-based Standards (PbS) is pleased to announce the return of the Employment Matching Award. Developed in 2017 to promote work opportunities and experiences while youths are in custody, the 2018 PbS Employment Matching Award will match up to $1,000 of what selected youths earn from July 1 - Sept. 1, 2018. The winners will receive the funds upon release.

Applications for the 2018 PbS Employment Matching Award will be accepted now through June 30, 2018.

Friday, June 1, 2018 at 2:32 PM

PbS Announces 2018 Reentry Award for Youths

Performance-based Standards (PbS) is pleased to announce the launch of the 2018 PbS Reentry Award. Developed in 2016 in honor of National Reentry Week, PbS annually provides Reentry Awards to help ease and support youths' transition from secure placement to the community.

If you are working with a youth in a PbS-participating agency or facility who would benefit from up to $500 to pay for one of the small but important pieces missing from his or her aftercare or case management plan, please consider filling out an application.

Applications will be accepted now through Thursday, May 31, 2018.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018 at 4:02 PM

Barbara Allen-Hagen Application Tips

The application for the 2018 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award is now open! The PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award is presented annually to one long-term correction facility, one short-term detention or assessment center and one community residential program that best demonstrates success using PbS’ data-driven improvement model to treat all youths in custody as one of our own.

We are happy to say that we shortened the application for 2018! Instead of five questions, we are now asking only three open-ended questions with shorter word counts to describe why, how and what applicants did using the facility improvement plan (FIP) process. Here are some tips for filling out and submitting a successful application for this year’s award!

Read the questions carefully and answer them fully!

This may seem obvious, but it is such an important thing to remember and that’s what makes it our number 1 tip for a great application! Each question in the application has multiple parts and your answers should address each of them to help ensure a strong response overall.

Tell your story!

The questions on the application are designed to help you tell the story of your facility improvement plan success. A good application is one that shows where you started, why you decided to start there and what you did to make change happen. It’s important to remember the purpose of the application – to share your program’s and team’s accomplishments!

Talk about your team!

We all know that true improvement and change at a facility or program is not accomplished by one person alone. Leadership and the team have to work together to get buy-in from staff, youths and sometimes families to make change happen. Your application should reflect this collaboration and give some clear examples of the challenges and successes your team experienced along the way.

Be specific.

Present specific examples of the interventions you mention in your application. Including details about how you implemented changes tells a motivating story that can be used to guide others looking for examples of ways to meet a similar goal.

Present supporting data.

Be sure to review your outcome measure reports while writing your application to gather information on how the data related to your focus subject has changed over time with the changes implemented using your improvement plan. Point to these data in your application to show proof of progress!

Review the eligibility requirements and deadline on the first page of the application.

Applications are accepted until March 31, 2018, but it is always good to get an early start on the questions. Even if you are not filling out your application right now, it is always helpful to start thinking about the story behind your improvements and their sustainability as soon as possible.

Get inspired!

Watch some of the winner’s videos from previous years and seek out finalist and winner’s blog posts to get motivated about your program’s improvements and your own application! Reapplying is highly encouraged!

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to treating all youths as one of your own.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018 at 3:39 PM

PbS Kids Got Talent Contest Tips

PbS invites all youths in participating facilities or programs to showcase their talents during the fourth annual PbS Kids Got Talent Contest. The contest’s expert and celebrity judges are increasingly impressed by the incredible lineup of performances over the years from PbS youths across the nation. Previous guest judges include an NBA All-Star, Hollywood movie producer, contestants from national television talent shows and more!

Don’t miss out on a chance to showcase your facility’s talented youths! Submit a video or audio recording of your youths’ talents by March 31, 2018.

Helpful Tips:

Generate Excitement
Spread the word by telling your youth about the opportunity to participate in the national PbS Kids Got Talent Contest and hang up the PbS Kids Got Talent Flyer around your program or facility to generate excitement!

Review Contest Guidelines
Read the contest guidelines on the submission page. All entries must be recorded while the youth is residing in the facility or program and each entry must be submitted with the PbS release form by March 31, 2018.

Submit Entries Early
Record and submit entries early to give youths the opportunity to discover even more of their talents before the contest comes to a close on March 31. Each youth or group can submit as many entries as they wish and multiple entries are highly encouraged. Share the many talents of your youth!

Hold a Talent Show
Hold a talent show at your facility to encourage creativity and a little friendly competition. Submit the performances to the PbS Kids Got Talent Contest to give each youth a chance to perform live at the national PbS awards ceremony in August!

Have Fun!
Always remember to have fun discovering and showcasing your youths’ talents!

Thank you for your continued commitment to treating all youths as one of your own! We look forward to viewing all the great submissions from our talented PbS youths!

Tuesday, February 6, 2018 at 3:23 PM

2018 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award and Kids Got Talent Contest

We are now accepting applications for the 2018 Barbara Allen-Hagen Award and PbS Kids Got Talent Contest!

The Barbara Allen-Hagen Award is presented annually to one long-term correction facility, one short-term detention or assessment center and one community residential program that best demonstrates success using PbS’ data-driven improvement model to treat all youths in custody as one of our own. A video will be produced in honor of each winning facility about the incredible improvements that lead to the positive outcomes of youths. Representatives from the winning facilities will travel to the annual PbS awards ceremony to accept the award.

To submit an application, sign in to the PbS website and find the application under My PbS > Surveys.

The PbS Kids Got Talent Contest has also begun, encouraging youths in PbS facilities to express their talents. Since Kids Got Talent was established in 2015, we have seen an incredible lineup of performances from sports enthusiasts to gifted dancers. Talented youths submit entries from across the nation to show the judges what they’ve got. The top scoring solo performer will be invited to perform live at the PbS awards ceremony in Minneapolis.

PbS Announces 2017 Barbara Allen-Hagen Award Winners

The PbS Learning Institute (PbS) honored the winners of the 2017 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award at the 2017 CJCA and PbS Awards Night in Chicago. The winners were recognized for best exemplifying PbS’ commitment to treating all youths in custody as one of our own. Three winners were selected, one from each of the different types of residential facilities participating in PbS: correction facilities, detention/assessment centers and community residential programs. Twenty-nine facilities from across the country competed for the awards.

The winners were selected for using the Facility Improvement Plan (FIP) process to guide culture changes and practices at the facility to improve conditions for youths and staff and treat youths as developing adolescents with limitless potential.

“This year’s winners and finalists overcame resistance to change and made believers out of skeptics. They looked at obstacles such as limited resources as opportunities and patiently implemented new policies, practices, trainings and programming. They did what many think is impossible: changed facility cultures to be free of fighting, managed behavior with healthy, nurturing staff-youth relationships, made everyone feel safe and welcomed families for visits, treatment meetings and events. The 2017 winners, finalists and semi-finalists are inspirations for all of us,” noted PbS Executive Director Kim Godfrey.

PbS is a data-driven improvement model grounded in research that challenges youth correction, detention, assessment and community residential facilities and agencies to treat all youths in custody as one of our own. PbS was launched 22 years ago by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to address the safety, health and quality of life issues reported in the 1994 Conditions of Confinement Study. Over time, PbS uniquely has established national standards to guide operations and uniform performance outcome measures to continuously, accurately and comprehensively monitor daily practices and cultures in youth facilities.

In this edition, PbS focuses on data related to family engagement practices that research shows are essential to reducing recidivism and ensuring a youth’s success. The brief shares aggregate data from April 2017 on connecting with families, creating valued relationships and involving families in treatment and discharge planning. Featured data includes:

Most families reported feeling welcome at facilities;

A majority of staff reported they have better results working with youths when families are included;

Most youths agreed the programming they attend is helping them to understand what they need to do to succeed when they return home; and

Nearly all families who participated in their child’s aftercare or discharge plan reported they understood, agreed with and were able to comply with the plan.

For more PbS data and information on connecting with families, visit the PbS issue briefs resource page.

Wednesday, August 2, 2017 at 4:46 PM

Cost-Benefit Analysis Shows Investing in Training for Staff Leads to Better Outcomes - and can Save Millions of Dollars

To learn more about the relationship between facility safety and cost-effectiveness, PbS partnered with a team of graduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs to conduct a cost-benefit analysis on staff training at juvenile correctional facilities using PbS’ national database. You can read their full report here.

In this edition, PbS connects data with research in areas research shows impact education and recidivism outcomes for youths. Research shows communications with families, treating substance use issues, developing vocational skills and creating safe environments all lead to positive outcomes. Featured data from October 2016 shows similar positive experiences with correction facilities and community residential programs including:

A majority of families reported they know who to contact with questions about their child’s well-being;

Nearly all families involved in the development of their child’s treatment plan understand and agree with the plan;

Most youths whose treatment plans prescribe substance use treatment receive the treatment; and

A majority of youths in correction and community facilities do not fear for their safety.

For more on positive youth outcomes visit the PbS issue briefs resource page.

Friday, February 3, 2017 at 4:56 PM

PbS Reentry Measurement Standards: Give All Youths a Chance to Start Again

There are few things as comforting as knowing that every Jan. 1 we get another chance to start again – diets, exercise, relationships, school, careers, community, our contributions to society – all our desires and dreams now possible with a clean slate; the baggage of the previous year is left behind.

The standards, supported by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), are intended to provide some of the institutional structures needed to align juvenile justice with science so systems can make an enduring impact on the youths and families served. Accordingly, the first task for PbS was to synthesize and analyze the current literature in implementation science, juvenile reentry and youth development with current practices in juvenile justice and data collection to identify key indicators to measure the reentry process. It took about a year and a lot of dedication to uncover as much information as possible. Now complete, it provides PbS with a very solid foundation for developing standards that will guide reentry services so youths leave systems’ care with hope, new opportunities and support to continue on the path to becoming healthy, productive and fulfilled adults.

Some of the work to complete the task:

Our research partners, the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera), conducted the literature review that identified and coded 173 studies looking at practices within 11 reentry domains.

Additionally, PbS scanned for 22 of those practices not found prevalent in the jurisdiction review by looking at federal funding, national organizations and training and technical assistance centers as well as legislation.

Separately, the research and field findings were then classified into three categories (high, moderate, little/no) for analysis and identification of practice themes to develop the standards. The classification showed both convergence and divergence in reentry research and field practices.

The side-by-side analysis confirmed that the field has begun implementing practices supported by research as well as practices not yet the subject of research but aligned with positive adolescent development. For example, the research strongly supports use of empirically-validated risk assessments and the risk-needs-responsivity approach to guide how the system responds to youths and the field scan found the practices were in use in a majority of systems reviewed – a good candidate to recommend as a standard (or two). However several practices found in many jurisdictions and supported by more general research on adolescents (such the impact of youths leaving with stable housing, mastery of life skills and job readiness and use of family handbooks and tours) were not found in the current available research and several practices supported strongly by research were found by the field scan to be only moderately implemented (interestingly, most relate to collecting, reporting and analyzing youth data: employment time, successful discharges, service matching based on risk/ needs assessment, youths’ perceptions of individual physical and emotional safety). The work ahead will be to consider all the findings with a group of juvenile justice leaders, researchers and professionals to identify what should be included in the standards, what points to a gap for future research and what practices to promote and discourage.

As we learned when developing the original standards for PbS and all new standards, outcome measures and continuous improvement model since, pilot testing as widely as possible is key to ensuring the final product is meaningful, feasible and achieves our commitment to treating all youths as one of our own.

An Inspiring Time at the 2016 PbS Awards Night

Friday, Aug. 5 was a night of celebration as representatives from residential facilities across the country gathered for the 2016 PbS Awards Night hosted by Performance-based Standards (PbS). The night was special not only for the recipients of the awards, but also for the hosts – this year, the ceremony returned to PbS’ hometown of Boston.

Kim Godfrey, Executive Director of PbS, and Mike Dempsey, President of the PbS Board of Directors, welcomed attendees at the start of the ceremony with words of appreciation for all of the amazing work being done to improve the conditions and quality of life in facilities and programs for young offenders.

“You know the Barbara Allen-Hagen Award was started about 10 years ago because PbS was founded on the belief that we treat all kids in custody as one of our own,” Godfrey said in her opening remarks. “The winners tonight exemplify that in the way that they work with their kids.”

The Barbara Allen-Hagen Award recognizes facilities which best embody PbS’ guiding principle of treating all youths in custody as one of our own. Godfrey announced the 2016 Barbara Allen-Hagen Award winners, Central Oklahoma Juvenile Center, Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center and Luther Hall, and each facility was honored with a video that gave an intimate look into the processes and cultural attitudes they took in order to improve the lives of the youths they serve. The facilities were applauded by the 150 attendees for their commitment to developing positive, successful futures for youths in their facilities.

This year, PbS also established the Reentry Award and the PbS Scholarship Fund. The Reentry Award was introduced to assist youths’ transition back into their homes and communities. The award of up to $1,000 is given to youths who have demonstrated progress preparing for their release, and can be put towards household items, clothing for job interviews, counseling visits, transportation and other items to help support youths as they reenter their communities. The PbS Scholarship Fund now supports and encourages both youths and staff to pursue post-secondary education by selecting two youths and two staff to receive up to $2,000 of tuition assistance.

The night concluded with a moving performance by the 2016 PbS Kids Got Talent Contest runner-up, Sabrina C. After some initial stage fright, she decided she would feel most comfortable performing a duet and was joined by PbS Coach Aaron McCorkle in a soulful and emotional performance of “Amazing Grace.” Much of the audience was brought to tears, and Sabrina concluded her performance to a full standing ovation.

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners, both youths and staff, and thank you to everyone who joined PbS to celebrate their amazing and inspiring work!

PbS Announces 2016 Barbara Allen-Hagen Award Winners

The Performance-based Standards Learning Institute (PbS) honored the winners of the 2016 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award on Friday, Aug. 5, 2016 at the PbS Awards Night in Boston. The winners were recognized for best exemplifying PbS’ commitment to treating all youths in custody as one of our own and having successfully implemented reforms to improve the treatment of youths. Three winners were selected, one from each of the different types of facilities participating in PbS: correction facilities, detention/assessment centers and community residential programs. About 20 facilities from across the country competed for the awards.

The winners were selected for changing facility cultures and practices to align with research and best practices that lead to positive youth outcomes. The winners made the facilities more safe, reduced the use of isolation and room confinement to manage youths’ behaviors and shifted to approaches that help youths before a problem starts. Staff in the winning facilities treat youths as developing adolescents with limitless potential and focus on increasing their academic and vocational skills, their connection to family and community and their health and well-being so when they leave, the youths have been given the best possible chances to succeed.

“Every year the award applications tell us inspiring stories of culture change and implementing the adolescent development approach as research shows is most successful with youths,” said PbS Executive Director Kim Godfrey. “It’s very clear that PbS facilities today are nothing like the institutions of the past.”

The winners were honored in front of approximately 150 professionals from across the country with videos that showed how they each made improvements to treat all youths like one of their own.

“Seeing the videos gave everyone in the room a real sense of the work it takes to create positive change and the results: staff and youths engaged in learning, playing, laughing and working together,” Godfrey said. “The winners inspired us all to continue to serve youths in facilities, most of whom are eager for opportunities to learn and grow.”

PbS is a data-driven improvement model grounded in research that challenges youth correction, detention, assessment and community residential facilities and agencies to treat all youths in custody as one of our own. PbS was launched 20 years ago by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to address the safety, health and quality of life issues reported in the 1994 Conditions of Confinement Study. Over time, PbS uniquely has established national standards to guide operations and uniform performance outcome measures to continuously, accurately and comprehensively monitor daily practices and cultures in youth facilities.

2016 Barbara Allen-Hagen Winner Spotlight: Luther Hall

Performance-based Standards (PbS) is pleased to announce Luther Hall in Fargo, ND as the winner of the 2016 Barbara Allen-Hagen Award in the community residential category. The program was selected as the winner for their improvement plan improving safety measures across the entire program.

Throughout 2014, Luther Hall began to see a pattern of alarming behavior. Residents were assuming control of the residential floor through defiance, and staffing turnover was at an all-time high. Increased incidents and physical restraints led to an increase in staff and resident injuries. The PbS team at Luther Hall found through staff and youth climate surveys that a quarter of their staff and half of their residents feared for their safety. Recognizing that safety is the foundational characteristic of a successful program, Luther Hall embarked on a comprehensive and thorough redesign of their curricula, staff training, administrative structure, and information gathering & dissemination.

Tyler Holland, PbS Site Coordinator for Luther Hall, explained how impactful changing Luther Hall’s staff schedule was to turnover; Luther Hall’s “Residential Supervisors eschewed 10 hour shifts, instead implementing 8.5 hour shifts in an attempt to decrease potential staff exhaustion. Since this change was made, [Luther Hall’s turnover rate plummeted] from 93% in 2014 to only 21% in 2015.” Additionally, communication across shifts was increased. Luther Hall created a team shift report, generated during the midday shift change, “in an effort to establish communication throughout the facility and to guarantee a smooth transition from morning to evening.” Luther Hall has also changed the frame through which they view negative behavior; Holland notes that instead of focusing on the negative behavior itself, staff’s “increased focus on the antecedents to potential crisis situations has allowed us to gain clearer insight into the reasons residents are demonstrating the negative behaviors… By developing a stronger understanding of the preceding conduct, we have gained an educated understanding of ways in which we can proactively support our residents when poor conduct arises.”

The Barbara Allen-Hagen Award was established in 2007 to honor Barbara Allen-Hagen and her retirement from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Her dedication to improving the quality of life in facilities for young offenders has helped drive PbS to its current success. The award is given to a correction, detention/assessment and community program who best exemplify PbS’ commitment to treating all youths in custody as one of our own by developing and implementing strategic plans to change practices that results in positive outcomes for youths, staff and families.

Read about the 2016 Barbara Allen-Hagen award finalists in the correction and detention categories.

Performance-based Standards (PbS) is pleased to announce Bridgeport Juvenile Detention Center (BJDC) in Bridgeport, CT as one of the finalists for the 2016 Barbara Allen-Hagen Award in the detention category. The program was selected as a finalist for their improvement plan addressing the issues of isolation, room confinement and segregation.

After a population and catchment area expansion, BJDC noticed an increase in room confinement and was challenged by the Deputy Director of Juvenile Residential Services to implement changes to reduce the facility’s use of isolation and room confinement. After reviewing the data, BJDC noted that improving gender-specific treatment and changing the focus of facility programming would have a significant impact. Changing the message to youth became a top priority. BJDC recognized early in the change process that staff buy-in would be critical to success. The administration sought out staff members to form two committees, one to tackle reducing behavior escalation in female youth by looking at national research and best practices and the other to research restorative justice principles to better inform and educate youth about the value of being socially responsible for their actions. This committee work laid the foundation for ongoing staff training, external conferences, monthly internal reviews and a 360-degree feedback process.

Verdell Reid, PbS Site Coordinator of BJDC, believes that “creating a multi-disciplinary team with representatives from all departments was an important key to success” and further, that “the greatest part of [BJDC’s] success in achieving the goals of the improvement plan was the input from the staff.” Judges praised the inclusivity of BJDC’s efforts, saying that allowing “staff to lead the restorative justice initiative was very smart, [and] will lead to sustainability of the initiative.” Citing the difficulty of the task, one judge remarked that BJDC’s ongoing progress “sets a great example for facilities across the US that think [reducing isolation] can’t be done. Clearly it can be done.”

The Barbara Allen-Hagen Award was established in 2007 to honor Barbara Allen-Hagen and her retirement from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Her dedication to improving the quality of life in facilities for young offenders has helped drive PbS to its current success. The award is given to a correction, detention/assessment and community program who best exemplify PbS’ commitment to treating all youths in custody as one of our own by developing and implementing strategic plans to change practices that results in positive outcomes for youths, staff and families.

2016 Barbara Allen-Hagen Finalist Spotlight: J. Paul Taylor Center

Performance-based Standards (PbS) is pleased to announce J. Paul Taylor Center (JPTC) in Las Cruces, NM as one of the finalists for the 2016 Barbara Allen-Hagen Award in the correction category. The program was selected as a finalist for their improvement plan reducing assaults on youths and staff.

During their first PbS data collection in April 2014, the PbS team at JPTC noted that their assault and fight measures were far above the field average. Additionally, survey results indicated staff trepidation and uneasiness toward facility safety. Although their initial improvement plan involved 8 action steps, the JPTC team soon realized that several other steps needed to be taken in order to reduce the number of assaults and added 7 more; they included additional staff training, a revised methodology for client communication, a restructuring of after-incident briefings, and a complete redesign of their monitoring and quality assurance procedures. PbS Facility Administrator Jeanne Quintero observed that through the Improvement Plan process, JPTC was “able to bring groups of staff together for a common cause—something that hadn't been done at this magnitude before.” Several judges were impressed by the overall effectiveness of JPTC’s implementation. One noted that program staff “had very good grasp and understanding of importance of quality assurance… [their] goals almost always exceeded the field average, an incredibly important distinguishing feature.” JPTC “truly went after a multi-dimensional approach to change.” Throughout their plan, it truly appeared that JPTC attempted to make a difference and impact at the individual and the group level.

The Barbara Allen-Hagen Award was established in 2007 to honor Barbara Allen-Hagen and her retirement from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Her dedication to improving the quality of life in facilities for young offenders has helped drive PbS to its current success. The award is given to a correction, detention/assessment and community program who best exemplify PbS’ commitment to treating all youths in custody as one of our own by developing and implementing strategic plans to change practices that results in positive outcomes for youths, staff and families.

Winners of the award will be announced the night of the ceremony on Aug. 5, 2016. Stay tuned for more blogs about the finalists.

Performance-based Standards (PbS) is pleased to announce Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center (FPJDC) in Covington, LA as one of the finalists for the 2016 Barbara Allen-Hagen Award in the detention category. The program was selected as a finalist for their improvement plan to systematically reduce the use of isolation and room confinement.

As FPJDC staff worked closely with their PbS Coach, they became aware that their facility’s use of isolation and room confinement was consistently above average. After touring several other facilities and observing best practices first hand, FPJDC staff agreed unanimously that change was in the best interest of their residents and together set a goal of facility-wide improvement. Three complementary approaches were developed to address the high instances of isolation use: a new sanctioning system for minor offenses, a resident mentoring program and the addition of de-escalation teams to every shift. FPJDC also introduced a new mediation system, which allowed their behavior management response to become more youth-centered.

Key to the success of FPJDC’s isolation reduction initiative was the “implementation of a sanction specifically for compliant residents committing minor offenses. This change gave residents an opportunity to manage their behavior and realign to program expectations before earning automatic time-based isolation sanctions,” remarked Courtney Casnave, one of the PbS team members at FPJDC. Barbara Allen-Hagen judges were thoroughly impressed with several characteristics of FPJDC’s action steps; one remarked that besides their careful and systematic approach, “also impressive is their inclusion of stakeholders: parents, probation officers, counselors, teachers and direct care staff.” Overall, FPJDC’s “focus on prevention and positive approaches will yield tremendous dividends into the future.”

The Barbara Allen-Hagen Award was established in 2007 to honor Barbara Allen-Hagen and her retirement from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Her dedication to improving the quality of life in facilities for young offenders has helped drive PbS to its current success. The award is given to a correction, detention/assessment and community program who best exemplify PbS’ commitment to treating all youths in custody as one of our own by developing and implementing strategic plans to change practices that results in positive outcomes for youths, staff and families.

Winners of the award will be announced the night of the ceremony on Aug. 5, 2016. Stay tuned for more blogs about the finalists.

2016 Barbara Allen-Hagen Finalist Spotlight: Ferris School

Performance-based Standards (PbS) is pleased to announce Ferris School in Wilmington, DE as one of the finalists for the 2016 Barbara Allen-Hagen Award in the correction category. The program was selected as a finalist for their improvement plan dedicated to reducing physical restraints, confinement time and idle waking hours.

In January 2015, the PbS Committee at Ferris School identified a connection between three crucial PbS outcome measures: idle waking time was leading to a lack of meaningful youth engagement, which contributed to youth-on-youth assaults, which culminated in increased physical restraint use by staff. They recognized that a comprehensive approach was needed in order to address these three issues as well as the increasing use of isolation. In order to generate youth buy-in, Ferris School developed an inter-unit competition. In addition to incentivizing reducing restraints and fights with casual clothing permissions and structured activities, the team developed additional events for staff, youth and families. The team at Ferris School remained committed to the transparency of their improvement processes by sharing their PbS Youth Climate Survey and Staff Climate Survey results, enabling staff and youth alike to see the positive effects of facility-wide policy and practice changes.

Thomas Spell, Ferris School Facility Administrator, believes the key to success and “moving so quickly through the PbS improvement model has simply been our building-wide total commitment to the process… PbS is now an everyday part of Ferris life.” Several judges were impressed with Ferris School’s new programs and dedication to including youth in the decision-making process; “A consistent focus on PbS data and the promotion of PbS into the everyday life of the facility has demonstrated good results”—especially powerful given a short time period.

The Barbara Allen-Hagen Award was established in 2007 to honor Barbara Allen-Hagen and her retirement from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Her dedication to improving the quality of life in facilities for young offenders has helped drive PbS to its current success. The award is given to a correction, detention/assessment and community program who best exemplify PbS’ commitment to treating all youths in custody as one of our own by developing and implementing strategic plans to change practices that results in positive outcomes for youths, staff and families.

Winners of the award will be announced the night of the ceremony on Aug. 5, 2016. Stay tuned for more blogs about the finalists.

Performance-based Standards (PbS) is pleased to announce Southwest Utah Youth Center- Detention (SWUYC) in Cedar City, UT as one of the finalists for the 2016 Barbara Allen-Hagen Award in the detention category. The program was selected as a finalist for their improvement plan improving their youth behavior management and recognition system.

Through extensive use of PbS Youth Climate Surveys, SWUYC realized that their level system was confusing to youth, and that this lack of understanding was contributing to a lack of connection between behavior and consequences. The original system was points-based and largely subjective. SWUYC began by examining in detail other facilities’ level systems in an effort to better understand what methods were successful and how they might be utilized. After more feedback, staff concluded that including evidence-based materials to the new rubric would be critical in fostering youth understanding and success. These additions empowered youth and enabled them to see a path to their individual successes and also encouraged staff involvement, as they provided more opportunities for one-on-one discussions with youth and the foundation for more individualized treatment strategies. Staff also solicited youth feedback on creating additional behavior-based incentives, which have been immensely beneficial in motivating SWUYC’s youth and allowing them to empower themselves to succeed.

Beth Clark, PbS Site Coordinator for SWUYC, explains the importance of having youths teach the system to new youth during facility orientation: “youth explaining the level system to each other gives them the opportunity to have a voice. Using their own words and terminology makes it easier to understand and gives youth on higher levels the ability to be leaders in the center.” She remarks that while ongoing feedback from staff and youth was necessary and welcome, the “true key to [their] success was staff working together toward a common goal.” PbS judges observed that “it may not have been intended, but [Simplifying a complex level system to enable youth to succeed] really captures the heart of "the developmental approach" in that our interventions first must be understood by youth in order to be effective!” SWUYC continues to send “a very strong message to staff, youth and family.”

The Barbara Allen-Hagen Award was established in 2007 to honor Barbara Allen-Hagen and her retirement from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Her dedication to improving the quality of life in facilities for young offenders has helped drive PbS to its current success. The award is given to a correction, detention/assessment and community program who best exemplify PbS’ commitment to treating all youths in custody as one of our own by developing and implementing strategic plans to change practices that results in positive outcomes for youths, staff and families.

Winners of the award will be announced the night of the ceremony on Aug. 5, 2016. Stay tuned for more blogs about the finalists.

Performance-based Standards (PbS) is pleased to announce Central Oklahoma Juvenile Center in Tecumseh, OK as one of the finalists for the 2016 Barbara Allen-Hagen Award in the correction category. The program was selected as a finalist for their improvement plan improving safety measures across the entire facility.

COJC recognized that improving youth and staff safety was critical to improving several secondary outcome measures. Their team came to understand that treatment could not be achieved without first creating a safe environment. Under the leadership of the Administrative Executive Team, COJC began to strategically plan a comprehensive culture change focusing on an infusion of fresh research and creative treatment modalities. Music and art therapy classes, evidence-based programming, and collaborations with local universities were only some of the myriad of changes.

Carol Miller, PbS Site Coordinator for COJC, explains that buy-in from every level of facility staff is critical to ongoing success, and highlights that communication is the foundation of safety: “All staff was trained in ‘Think Trauma’ curriculum and Safety Plans were created for residents out of evidence-based Trauma Assessments which are shared with direct care staff to assist in identifying resident trauma triggers. The FIP team meets monthly to review current trends and determine how to sustain or improve progress; meeting minutes are shared with facility staff, [and] Executive Team meetings are held weekly to steer the changes and overcome unforeseen barriers to implementation.” Judges also highlighted the importance of buy-in, noting that COJC’s “desire to engage all staff from leadership to line staff in the culture changes was impressive.”

The Barbara Allen-Hagen Award was established in 2007 to honor Barbara Allen-Hagen and her retirement from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Her dedication to improving the quality of life in facilities for young offenders has helped drive PbS to its current success. The award is given to a correction, detention/assessment and community program who best exemplify PbS’ commitment to treating all youths in custody as one of our own by developing and implementing strategic plans to change practices that results in positive outcomes for youths, staff and families.

Winners of the award will be announced the night of the ceremony on Aug. 5, 2016. Stay tuned for more blogs about the finalists.

Congratulations to the 2016 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award Finalists

Performance-based Standards (PbS) is proud to announce the finalists for the 2016 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award recognizing facilities for young offenders that best exemplify PbS’ commitment to treating all youths in custody as one of our own.

The finalists were selected from about 20 high-quality applications from across the country that developed and implemented strategic plans to change practices and services using PbS’ data-driven improvement model that resulted in positive outcomes for youths, staff and families. In addition to demonstrating with data they improved the conditions of confinement and quality of life, the finalists were selected because they linked the improvement strategies to research, developed thorough sustainability plans and connected daily operations with the ultimate goal of providing effective and developmentally-appropriate care for youths placed in residential facilities.

The six finalists addressed significant challenges facing facility leaders and staff including reforming adult-oriented cultures to be youth-focused and less punitive, increasing volunteers and volunteer programming, improving reentry services, reducing and eliminating harmful practices such as isolation and restraints and creating developmentally-appropriate behavior management systems.

The 2016 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award Finalists are:

Correction Category:

-Central Oklahoma Juvenile Center, Tecumseh, OK

-Ferris School, Wilmington, DE

-J. Paul Taylor Center, Las Cruces, NM

Detention and Assessment Category:

-Bridgeport Juvenile Detention Center, Bridgeport, CT

-Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center, Covington, LA

-Southwest Utah Youth Center- Detention, Cedar City, UT

“All the applications reflect what we have learned over the past 20 years about how to treat adolescents placed in youth justice facilities as kids and how to help them mature to be healthy productive adults – it’s awesome to see such demonstrated and documented commitment to treating all youths in custody as one of our own,” said PbS Executive Director Kim Godfrey. “Despite the changing laws and leaders, politics and funding, there is tremendous good work being done on behalf of youths entering the justice system. It’s not easy and it’s not done, but it is imperative we recognize what works.”

One winner in each category will be selected and honored at the PbS State/Agency Coordinators Training and Awards Ceremony Aug. 5 in Boston. Be sure to check back frequently for spotlight blogs about the finalists’ specific efforts to treat every youth in custody as one of our own.

And the Finalists Are...

Providing additional evidence the developmental approach to juvenile justice is taking hold across the country, the 2016 PbS Kids Got Talent Contest drew double the number of entries in just its second year of competition.

It’s a great recognition of the kids, their talents and the system’s need to treat them like one of our own.

This year we received submissions with the talents of 120 youths from 14 states. They included singing, dancing, basketball dunking, poetry and more. They were all fabulous and entertaining. It’s hard to remember that just one year ago we were worried that our first challenge to youth residential facilities for video and audio talent submission would yield few contestants.

Narrowing the field was not an easy task as every entry was entertaining and unique. All the youths, and the staff that assisted them in preparing their performances, should be extremely proud.

The 15 finalists are:

Edward R. – Tillamook YCF, OR

Sevion W. – Red Wing, MN

Paul C. – Logansport JCF, IN

Kaleb G. & Branden N. – OH Close, CA

Bradlee R. – Kansas JCC, KS

Sidney G. & O’Shay G. – OH Close, CA

Shampaine M. – Kansas JCC, KS

Fabulous Females – IYC Warrenville, IL

Issac R. & Jonathan C. – NA Chaderjian, CA

Paul T. – Kansas JCC, KS

Maleke H. & Deon C. – K.H. Rubenstein JC, WV

Victor D. – Rogue Valley YCF, OR

Sabrina C. – Echo Glen Children’s Center, WA

Trey S. – K.H. Rubenstein JC, WV

Josh M. – Wasatch YCF, UT

The judges have a fun but difficult task ahead in selecting the winner, who will be invited to perform at the PbS Awards Gala on Aug. 5, 2016 in Boston.

Congratulations to all who participated! YOU ROCK!

Monday, April 25, 2016 at 10:48 AM

Barbara Allen-Hagen Award Application Available

The 2016 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen (BAH) Award application is available through March 31! You can start the application by going to the surveys section of the website: http://pbstandards.org/mypbs/surveys

As you work on your application, here are some tips to help you make your application stand out:

Follow directions.

Be sure to follow the instructions for the application and pay attention to the word count on questions. Use a word processing program (i.e. Microsoft Word) to track your word count.

Choose the right improvement plan.

The improvement plan should incorporate all the necessary components: the outcome measure or focus, goal and action steps. There should be comments from team members that indicate that the facility or program is progressing towards the goal. This shows that all team members are engaged and have a role.

Show us the data!

When telling us about your improvement plan, include the proof! Provide data or statistics that supports the work that has been done. Quotes or testaments from management and team members can also strengthen the application.

Make every question count.

The application should demonstrate that significant effort went into every question. If a question has multiple components, address each part of the question. Don’t forget to proofread and check for any typos or misspellings (a word processing program can help with that too!).

Be clear, concise and convincing.

Your submission should reflect an award-winning application with excellent overall quality. Make sure that points made in the application are clear and can be easily understood by someone who is not in the facility – can your grandmother or a fifth-grader understand why you should win?

PbS’s 2nd Annual PbS Kids Got Talent Contest

The 2nd annual PbS Kids Got Talent Contest has begun! This contest showcases the talents of the youths in PbS facilities and programs by inviting them to submit an audio or video recording of their talent. See our 2015 winner Tyrell J. from South Carolina perform his winning original song “Perfect to Me.”

Youths in PbS facilities and programs are eligible to submit their video or audio recording between December 1, 2015 and March 31, 2016. No entries will be accepted after this date. Finalists will be notified in mid-April 2016 and the winner will be informed at the beginning of June 2016.

Participants may enter individual or group performances. The top scoring individual entry will be invited to perform at the PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen awards ceremony on August 5, 2016 in Boston, MA. Travel and one night accommodation for the youth and their chaperone will be provided by PbS. The top scoring group entry will have their performance shown at the awards. All videos may be showcased on our website.

Create a Successful FIP with the PbS Blueprint

The PbS Blueprint is a new resource that connects research, outcome measures, supporting data, practices, policies and PbS goals and standards. The PbS Blueprint replaces the former Goals, Standards, Expected Practices and Policies document, which participants reported not finding very helpful. Therefore, the PbS team and coaches, with the help of experts in the field, updated the content and layout to best serve our participants as you strive to treat all youths in custody as one of your own.

The PbS Blueprint contains numerous new features, including:

Domains. Each area (safety, order, security, etc.) contains domains—topics that are common for improvement plans. These domains group together the outcome measures, supporting data, practices, policies and research, so everything you need as you work on your improvement plans is in one place.

Interactivity. The document contains a table of contents, which not only lists out all the domain areas and sections by page number, but also allows you to click directly on the section title to take you directly to that page. Many of the domain areas are also closely related, so there are clickable links within each section that will bring you to other related domains.

Supporting data. The PbS Blueprint now includes a section for supporting data in each domain. This allows you to look beyond just the outcome measures and find other related data. PbS is a rich source of data and the Blueprint will help you dive deep into a specific topic.

Research. The start of each domain offers research on the topic as well as citations. This is a great way to get staff buy-in since the research frames a conversation about the topic and the importance of creating an improvement plan on it. The citations also point you to further readings on the topics.

Updated practices and policies. Although the policies and practices are not new, they have been updated to reflect the most recent research and are a great resource as you work on the action steps of your improvement plan. For example, if you see a practice that is not currently happening in the facility, you can implement it as an action step in your improvement plan.

If you have any feedback on the PbS Blueprint, you will find a link at the top of the cover page that leads to a feedback survey. Please feel free to share any and all feedback; we will review the feedback periodically to ensure the PbS Blueprint is the best it can possibly be.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015 at 1:09 PM

One Month Left to Apply for the Barbara Allen-Hagen Award!

This year’s Barbara Allen-Hagen Award is going to be a huge celebration in conjunction with PbS’ 20th anniversary. Winners will be honored on Aug. 14 during a dinner awards ceremony with directors and state coordinators in attendance. Additionally, videos will be produced of each of the winning facilities!

How do you win the award and get to take part in this great celebration? Apply! There’s still a month left. We will not be granting any extensions. All you need to do is go to the surveys page, select the Barbara-Allen Hagen award application and tell us about your facility’s successful improvement plan.

We received so many great applications last year and look forward to even more this year. Remember, previous applicants and finalists can apply again with updated data and previous winners can apply using a new improvement plan.

All PbS facilities do great work; don’t be shy to show off that great work!

Barbara-Allen Hagen Award Application Available

The 2015 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen (BAH) Award application is available through March 31! You can start the application by going to the surveys section of the website: http://pbstandards.org/mypbs/surveys

As you work on your application, here are some tips to help you make your application stand out:

Follow directions.

Be sure to follow the instructions for the application and pay attention to the word count on questions. Use a word processing program (like Microsoft Word) to track your word count.

Choose the right improvement plan.

The improvement plan should incorporate all the necessary components: the outcome measure or focus, goal and action steps. There should be comments from team members that indicate that the facility or program is progressing towards the goal. This shows that all team members are engaged and have a role.

Show us the data!

When telling us about your improvement plan, include the proof! Provide data or statistics that supports the work that has been done. Quotes or testaments from management and team members can also strengthen the application.

Make every question count.

The application should demonstrate that significant effort went into every question. If a question has multiple components, address each part of the question. Don’t forget to proofread and check for any typos or misspellings (a word processing program can help with that too!).

Be clear, concise and convincing.

Your submission should reflect an award-winning application with excellent overall quality. Make sure that points made in the application are clear and can be easily understood by someone who is not in the facility – can your grandmother or a fifth-grader understand why you should win?

We look forward to reading your applications!

Monday, January 12, 2015 at 3:48 PM

PbS Kids Got Talent Virtual Talent Contest

To celebrate our 20th Anniversary Performance-based Standards (PbS) is excited to announce the "PbS Kids Got Talent” virtual talent contest. This contest will showcase the talents of the youths in PbS facilities and programs by encouraging them to submit an audio or video recording of their talent!

Youths in PbS facilities and programs are eligible to submit their video or audio recording between now and March 31, 2015. Their talent can be anything from singing and dancing to performing acrobatics or any other talent the youths may have! Participants will compete in solo performance or group performance categories. The winning solo performance will be invited to perform at the PbS 20th Anniversary celebration in August 2015. The winning group performance video will be shown at the celebration. All videos may be showcased on our website.

We look forward to viewing all the great submissions from our talented PbS youths!

Friday, January 9, 2015 at 2:28 PM

PbS Announces PbS Kids Got Talent Virtual Talent Contest

To celebrate our 20th Anniversary Performance-based Standards (PbS) is excited to announce the PbS “Kids Got Talent” virtual talent contest. This contest will showcase the talents of the youths in PbS facilities and programs by encouraging them to submit an audio or video recording of their talent!

Youths in PbS facilities and programs are eligible to submit their video or audio recording between now and March 31, 2015. Their talent can be anything from singing to performing acrobatics or any other talent youths may have!

Participants will compete in solo performance or group performance categories. The winning solo performance entrant will be invited to perform at the PbS 20th anniversary celebration in August 2015. The winning group performance video will be shown at the celebration. All videos may be showcased on our website.

Details and instructions on how to upload your video will be posted to the PbS website. We look forward to viewing all the great submissions from PbS youths!

Wednesday, December 3, 2014 at 12:36 PM

Influencing Others in the Spirit of PbS

STAR Academy’s 6th annual Performance-based Standards (PbS) recognition celebration was in honor of staff who have set an example and continue to influence others in the spirit of PbS.

The constant theme in the PbS recognition was targeted around leadership, influence and setting an example. Tonya Wright-Cook, PbS State Coordinator, explained “PbS does not have authority over us, but they most certainly have influence. Their standards and best practices guide us in the right direction so we can in turn lead by example and influence and our youth, our staff, and our families.”

The three STAR Academy program managers received the Donald Trump – Ace of Spades Award. Tonya explained how the programs react to each new twist of fate and when it comes to their PbS outcomes “we do not and cannot play a simple game of chance.” She said the consistent use of Evidence Based Practices, Performance-based Standards and Core Correctional Procedures is like holding a trump card and how it never fails. The two current PbS Site Coordinators, Brenda Kirsch and Tamela Ross, were honored with the Mother Theresa Inspiration Award.

Twelve staff members from all different programs including Community Corrections were awarded the Sam Walton-High Expectation Award for taking an active role with the facilitation of family surveys or recommending volunteer speakers throughout the year. Tonya said “High expectations is an attitude, it’s a culture and a collective way of incorporating best practices. When you have high expectations you keep moving forward on the leading edge of innovation and change.”

Tonya recognized 12 staff members for working diligently behind the scenes by executing, taking action and moving ahead as things change. They were presented with the John Maxwell “Walk the Talk Award.” Tonya thanked the recipients for providing updated training needs, having committed roles in PREA compliance, meditating with the youth and for providing consistent PbS documentation as required for data entry. Special thanks went out to specific staff who are always a phone call away to help Tonya shine in her position.

The Maya Angelou Perseverance Award went to seven Community Corrections Agents. Tonya explained that without a partnership with our Juvenile Community Agents and their role in the Reintegration Standards we would never see a level 4 performance in our programs. Their PbS knowledge and their data entry is critical for us to submit a complete package.

Because of their strong character, their commitment to do what is best for others and for their influence, the following individuals were recognized with the Vince Lombardi Leadership Award: PbS Coach Al Lick, STAR Academy Assistant Superintendent Loren Mohr, STAR Academy Superintendent Jeff Haiar, Director of Juvenile Community Corrections Kristi Bunkers, Director of Juvenile Services Doug Herrmann and Secretary of Corrections Denny Kaemingk.

Tonya surprised everyone by presenting two Spirit of Character Awards this year. Tonya said “This year’s award goes to goes to someone who has a positive approach in all their work efforts they are innovative, structured and responsive” and presented the 6th annual Jodi Larabee Spirit of Character Award to Brenda Kirsch and Tamela Ross.

Juvenile Community Corrections was presented with the 2nd Annual PbS Achievement Award for their recognizable improvements over the last year, for taking an active role in the PbS Family Initiative and for their integrated partnership in our PbS success.

Juvenile Division Director Doug Herrmann was confident in saying “STAR Academy is a place I would be comfortable sending my own youth to.” After listening to all of the morning presenters and their combined knowledge of Performance-based Standards, Core Correctional Procedures, PREA, and Evidence-based practices, Doug noted that he was not the expert anymore and that he is “grateful to be surrounded by quality staff that has expert knowledge in these specific areas.”

After an eventful day of PbS presentations, a working brown bag luncheon and a celebration that recognized influential staff, the PbS festivities ended with the satisfaction that our PbS investment is invaluable.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014 at 9:22 AM

Five More Days to Submit a BAH Application

As you head into the July 4th holiday weekend, please know there are five more days for your PbS facilities to submit applications for the 2014 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award and be recognized nationally for your dedication to treating all youths in custody as one of our own. The application process is simple and straightforward; all participating sites have been notified and have access to application on the PbS website. From the field, nine finalists are selected (three correction, three detention/assessment centers and three community-based programs) and then one winner in each category is selected. The winners will be celebrated at the CJCA National Leadership Institute in October along with the CJCA directors’ awards.

Celebrating success is a critical piece to improving conditions and quality of services in juvenile justice facilities and programs. Past winners, Pendleton JCF (IN) and Sacramento County Youth Detention, have used the recognition to celebrate locally and expand the number and types of awards and report improved staff and youth morale. Just completing the application will give you and your PbS teams the opportunity to reflect on what’s worked and why and a success story you can share widely.

5 Tips for a Successful Barbara Allen-Hagen Application

The 2014 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen (BAH) Award application is now available. Here are some tips to help you complete your award-winning application:

1. Follow directions.
Be sure to follow the instructions for each part of the application. Some questions have a word limit while others do not. Use a word processing program (like Microsoft Word) to track your word count.

2. Make every question count.
Answer each question thoughtfully. The application should demonstrate that significant effort went into every question. If a question has multiple components, be thorough and include an answer for each part of the question. Don’t forget to proofread and check for any typos or misspellings (a word processing program can help with that too!).

3. Choose the right improvement plan.
The improvement plan should incorporate all the necessary components. The outcome measure, goal and seven action steps for each part of the improvement plan process should be included. There should be comments from team members that indicate that the facility or program is progressing towards the goal. This shows that all team members are engaged and have a role.

4. Show us the data!
The application should tell what improvements were made at the facility but be sure to include the proof! A great way to enhance your application is to provide data or statistics that will support the work that has been done. Quotes or testaments from management and team members can also strengthen the application

5. Be clear, concise and convincing.
Your submission should reflect an award-winning application with excellent overall quality, including well-written text. Make sure that points made in the application are clear and can be easily understood by someone who is not in the facility – can your grandmother/ a fifth-grader understand why you should win? The PbS BAH Award is like the Nobel Peace Prize for juvenile justice facilities, so put forth your best effort!

Encouragement from past winners:

“You cannot change what you cannot measure. PbS is the process to measure what we do and why we do what we do.”
–Tonya Wright-Cook, Youth Challenge Center, 2007 PbS BAH winner

“Every facility has unique strengths that allow them to succeed…illustrate how those were utilized in your improvement plan. “
–Casey Traynor, North Dakota YAC, 2011 PbS BAH winner

“Line staff need to be involved in the improvement plan process, including the development and implementation of the facility improvement plans. It is essential to communicate with others about PbS.”
–Natalie Walker, Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility, 2013 PbS BAH winner

“Do not be discouraged! Any improvement is significant when changing culture, and one should not be discouraged when the data does not reflect an improvement at all; changing culture takes time.”
–Laetesia Ible, Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility, 2013 PbS BAH winner

Tuesday, June 3, 2014 at 9:41 AM

PbS Concludes Another Successful Data Collection

Performance-based Standards (PbS) is a data-driven improvement model grounded in research that holds juvenile justice agencies, facilities and residential care providers to the highest standards for operations, programs and services. Data collection is the first step in PbS’ process that builds performance improvement and accountability into agency, facility and program operations.

PbS just wrapped up another successful data collection period with nearly 200 participants across 31 states. These agencies, facilities and programs volunteer to participate and commit to treating all youths in custody as one of our own. In addition to administrative data, PbS participants collected 1,350 family surveys, 5,390 youth climate surveys, 5,364 youth records, 6,427 staff surveys and 5,772 incident reports. Stay tuned for PbS issue briefs that explore this data and provide topical conversation and analysis.

Traditionally, youth, staff and family surveys have been conducted on paper only but for the first time, kiosks were made available to PbS participants at correction, detention and assessment sites. For the next data collection, kiosks will be available for community-based programs as well. Participants in 26 facilities across 12 states used touch-screen kiosks this April to collect surveys, improving the process through technology and saving time on data entry. Feedback on their kiosk user experience will be shared in a future blog.

Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 10:08 AM

PbS Continues to Expand the Family-Youth Initiative

It is an exciting time for Performance-based Standards (PbS)! New PbS survey kiosks were released that allow youths, staff and families to complete surveys on touch screens. PbS partnered with THRIVE and the Maine Department of Corrections, Division of Juvenile Services to integrate trauma-informed care with PbS, starting by adding new trauma-related questions to the PbS Youth Climate Survey. PbS is also launching the Family-Youth Initiative (FYI) for all facilities and programs to further improve family engagement and maintaining and strengthening the connection between incarcerated youths and their families. Correction, detention and community-based programs will see many exciting improvements in May!

Since 2012, PbS has pilot tested new family-related questions to PbS surveys and the new PbS Family Survey at nearly 50 volunteer correction facilities. Starting May 1, PbS will roll out the PbS Family Survey to all correction sites, pilot testing the PbS Family Survey as modified for detention centers and expanding the CbS Family Survey to incorporate the questions developed as part of the FYI pilot test. Participants will also have new family outcomes and family standards to help guide, measure and improve family engagement. Some participants have already made improvement plans and progress based on the family survey results and we are excited to give more facilities and programs that opportunity.

To develop the PbS Family Survey for detention centers, the 2014 PbS State Coordinators Training brought together a group of leaders from detention sites across the country to review the family survey and discuss how to enhance and tailor the survey for short-term populations. The work group of about 20 state coordinators shared suggestions and connected outside the training to complete the feedback. From that group, five detention sites have volunteered to pilot test the new family survey.

Budnick Says Get Heart to Heart with Kids—Staff Show They Care

Scott Budnick’s successful strategy for turning around both the lives of young offenders and the opinions of pro-punishment policymakers is simple: get heart to heart. When we get to know the kids, he said, we know we have to treat them as kids.

Scott’s comments were made at the 8th Annual Models for Change conference in December in Washington, DC. You recognize his name most likely as the producer of the wildly-funny Hangover movies. But for more than a decade, he has been a volunteer, mentor, friend, advocate and supporter of youths in California juvenile and adult correction and detention facilities. A tireless advocate for the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), he has helped youths move from high security facility units into college dorms, high-paying jobs and careers.

Scott’s words were music to my ears, as Performance-based Standards’ (PbS) guiding principle is not only do we treat kids like kids but we treat them as one of our own kids. Scott told inspirational stories about his relationships with “his kids,” reminding me of the tremendous impact and responsibility facility staff have day in, day out, working with adolescents and teenagers. It’s a difficult and demanding job. As a mother of teenagers I know they are tough to deal with, even when they are not locked up.

So I wanted to know how the staff in PbS facilities are doing – are they feeling the deep satisfaction Scott Budnick described seeing “his kids” turn their lives around? Are they building relationships like they would with their own children?

Checking the responses to the October 2013 PbS Staff Climate Survey (more than 4,000 staff from across the country responded), I was pleased to see the majority are satisfied with their jobs (85%), said they received the information they need to perform their jobs effectively (82%) and they know their job expectations (93%). The majority also received the training they need to perform their jobs (90%) and said the training they received improved their job skills (88%). Slighter fewer (77%), said the support and guidance they received from their supervisors was good or excellent. More than three quarters said their facilities were safe or very safe for them and do not fear for their safety.

Talking about the work they do with the kids, staff painted a picture of mostly healthy, helpful, positive relationships: 98% said staff show youths respect, 97% said staff are good role models, 97% said staff seem to genuinely care about the kids. Most staff (92%) talk to the kids about their families, 76% said they value family members and youths’ social supports as partners in their work with youths and half (50%) said training had improved the way they interact with families.

I know many individual staff members who have done what Scott did – support youths who want to turn their lives around so the youth grows up to be a successful, law-abiding adult. I hope and believe there are many, many staff I don’t know who we need to recognize and support for doing the work on the ground: treating kids like one of our own.

You can read more about the staff survey and results in PbS’ new issue brief “Staff Perceptions.” PbS offers this brief as another in our series translating research into practices and to advance our commitment to treat all youths in custody as one of our own.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014 at 3:56 PM

Engaging Families with Justice-Involved Youths—Missing Piece of the Puzzle

The juvenile justice system’s goal is to rehabilitate youths; when youths enter programs and facilities, there are many pieces of the puzzle to successfully rehabilitate the youth and reintegrate them into the community but one unmistakable piece is the youth’s family and social supports. Where do youths go when they are released? Who is there to help them succeed? A national wave of research focusing on engaging families and social supports has shown that families are the most frequent provider of housing and financial support; additionally, involving families in youths’ rehabilitation showed better employment outcomes and a reduction in substance abuse. With this research base, Performance-based Standards (PbS) has responded by working tirelessly with national leaders to develop the Family-Youth Initiative (FYI) with an overarching goal “To engage and collaborate with families and people who support youths while youths are in custody.”

PbS collaborated with the Family Justice Program of the Vera Institute of Justice to develop FYI and convened a national Advisory Board involving representatives from families, facilities and research entities. Working with these partners, PbS released a pilot survey in 2012 for families and social supports that captures the families’ experiences with the facility orientation, visiting and contact, treatment planning and communication and discharge planning. You may be surprised by some of the results: in October 2013, 96% of family members reported that staff treat them with respect and 92% reported that staff make it easier for them to stay in contact with their child. Feedback has been valuable for facilities, showing them ways that the facility is succeeding in engaging families and highlighting ways the facility can improve. Some participants have already improved their practices by providing more information to the families, providing tours and changing visitation policies to better accommodate the families.

In addition to surveying families, new questions were added to the youth and staff climate surveys to provide a fuller perspective about family engagement. You can read more about it in PbS’ new issue brief “Family-Youth Initiative,” which explains the history of FYI and shares results of family-related questions. PbS offers this brief as another in our series translating research into practices and to advance our commitment to treat all youths in custody as one of our own.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014 at 4:19 PM

What Youths Say Matters

There’s an old French proverb that says: If you want the truth, ask a child. I’ve taken that to mean telling untruths is something learned later in life, after children learn they can choose their words to achieve a desired outcome – usually to be accepted and praised rather than rejected and punished.

Now, after nearly 20 years asking questions to youths in secure residential programs as part of the Performance-based Standards (PbS) program, I realize that what youths say about their experiences in custody is essential to understanding the truth about what happens in juvenile facilities and provides crucial information needed to manage safe and healthy juvenile facilities. By asking youths their opinions about food, staff, family, school, personal safety, health care and access to attorneys, PbS facility leaders get a very real and rich overview of the facility culture and quality of life. Surveying youths allows PbS facility leaders to go beneath the surface of what’s going on and gain insights into emotions and behaviors.

PbS has just released a new issue brief entitled: “What Youths Say Matters,” that talks about some of the findings by the Pathways to Desistance Study, probably the most comprehensive longitudinal study of youths in the juvenile justice system. Pathways researchers interviewed about 1,400 youths in Philadelphia and Phoenix over a seven-year period looking at what makes youths continue to commit crimes or stop. Of the many findings, Pathways research showed that youths’ experiences in custody impact future choices: when youths say they have a positive experience, they are less likely to continue to commit crimes. The researchers also concluded:

What youths say matters; youths tell us ways we can help prevent them from continuing to commit crimes; and

Asking them is a valid, cost-effective way to find out what we need to know to prevent future crime.

PbS offers this brief as another in our series translating research into practices and to advance our commitment to treat all youths in custody as one of our own.

Written by PbS Executive Director, Kim Godfrey

Friday, November 22, 2013 at 11:14 AM

PbS Announces Winners of the 2013 Barbara Allen-Hagen Award

Braintree, MA: The PbS Learning Institute is proud to announce the winners of the 2013 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award, honored Thursday night at a ceremony in Chicago. The award recognizes facilities for young offenders that best exemplify the core principal of the Performance-based Standards (PbS) program: all youths in custody are treated as one of our own. Three winners were selected representing three different types of residential facilities: correction, detention and community-based.

“The 2013 winners created reforms that resulted in culture changes and implementation of research-based practices,” said PbS Learning Institute Executive Director Kim Godfrey. “They offer models for the rest of the country on ways to integrate families into youths’ rehabilitation and reentry planning and strategies to decrease practices that do not serve youths, staff, families and communities.”

The 2013 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award winners are:

Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility, Pendleton, IN
Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility was selected as the correction facility winner for increasing family involvement and visits. According to Indiana Division of Juvenile Services Executive Director Mike Dempsey: “PbS has provided Pendleton with the tools to target specific areas of improvement, which has ultimately led to better long-term outcomes for youths and their families. “

Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility, Sacramento, CA
Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility was selected as the detention center winner for changing its culture and significantly reducing the number of times and how long youths were put in room confinement. With the hard work that staff brings each day, Assistant Chief Probation Officer Mike Shores said, “The Barbara Allen-Hagen Award is one of the highest honors a detention facility can achieve.”

Southwest Indiana Regional Youth Village, Vincennes, IN
Southwest Indiana Regional Youth Village was selected as the community-based program winner for making the program safer and decreasing injuries to staff. Administrator Lynne Rump said, “CbS is the first comprehensive tool we’ve employed that broadly measures our environment of care.”

PbS is a self-improvement program used in 30 states and DC to ensure the highest quality of life for young offenders in residential facilities. PbS gives agencies the tools to gather data and analyze the results to make improvements in facilities. The program was launched by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) in 1995 and is operated by the PbS Learning Institute (PbS Li).

Announcing the 2013 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award Finalists

The PbS Learning Institute (PbS Li) is proud to announce the nine finalists for the 2013 PbS Barbara Allen Hagen Award, established in 2007 to recognize juvenile facilities that best exemplify the core principal of the Performance-based Standards (PbS) program: facilities treat all youths in custody as one of our own. The finalists were selected from nearly 30 high-quality applications from facilities across the country that all achieved positive outcomes for youths, staff and families by measuring and monitoring daily practices and services using PbS' national standards and self-improvement process.

“The applications we received this year were exceptional and showed how targeted and strategic initiatives can change culture, improve practices and positively impact the lives of youths in custody,” said Kim Godfrey, PbS Li Executive Director. “Change requires leadership and dedicated professionals and isn’t easy. But these applications showed change is possible and worth the hard work.”

Congratulations to all finalists! Three winners will be selected from the group of finalists, one representing correction facilities, one for detention centers, and one for residential programs. Winners will be announced June 17 and the awards will be presented in October.

Friday, May 24, 2013 at 3:06 PM

State Juvenile Corrections Programs Shine in PbS Project

For the second time, all of South Dakota's juvenile corrections programs have reached the highest level status possible under a national project that measures conditions and treatment services provided to incarcerated youth.

All three of the reporting programs at the State Treatment and Rehabilitation (STAR) Academy near Custer obtained Level 4 status during the October 2012 data collection period for the Performance-based Standards (PbS) project. In April 2011, South Dakota became the first state to have all of its reporting programs achieve Level 4 status.

“The STAR Academy team continues to work hard to provide the best treatment possible for those juveniles that the court has placed in our care, and it shows in retaining the highest marks in the PbS project,” said Denny Kaemingk, Secretary of Corrections. “We use evidence based practices to continue to improve on the treatment provided to give the juveniles the tools that they need to be successful.”

“Congratulations to all three programs and State PbS Coordinator Tonya Wright-Cook for their hard work and commitment to excellence which is unmatched in the national PbS project,” said Doug Herrmann, Director of Juvenile Services for the Department of Corrections. “There are many partners who have contributed to each program’s success and it represents a team effort to achieve the level 4 status a second time in the PbS project.”

The PbS system was developed by the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators (CJCA) to improve conditions of confinement, services and overall operations of juvenile facilities and programs and to provide technical assistance and tools that promote public safety, offender accountability and rehabilitation that prevents future crime.

STAR Academy has participated in the PbS project since 2001. Governor Dennis Daugaard signed an executive order in 2012 requiring the state juvenile corrections programs to continue participating in the project and to report annually to the Legislature on the progress of the project. South Dakota is the only state that publicly releases its report.

There are currently 162 facilities in the nation participating in the PbS project. Twenty-three of those facilities reached Level 4 status for the last reporting period, with three of them being from South Dakota.

For more information on STAR Academy’s participation in the PbS project or to view the most recent annual report, visit the Department of Corrections website.

Monday, January 7, 2013 at 10:55 AM

PbS Honors 2012 Barbara Allen-Hagen Award Winners

The PbS Learning Institute (PbS Li) honored Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility of Ohio and Weber Valley Detention Center of Utah as the winners of the 2012 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award during a ceremony Saturday in Denver. The PbS awards are given annually to the one youth correctional facility and the one detention center that best exemplify the core principle of the Performance-based Standards (PbS) program: treating all youths in custody as one of our own.

The winners were selected in a competitive application process open to all PbS facilities across the country. More than 30 high-quality applications were considered and all demonstrated how implementation of the national PbS program resulted in positive outcomes for youths, staff and families. PbS sets national standards for facility quality of life and rehabilitation services and provides facilities with a blueprint for daily operations that includes performance outcome measures, best practices and processes to achieve the standards. PbS won the prestigious Innovations in American Government Award from the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University in 2004 for uniquely and effectively improving conditions and quality of life in facilities for youths.

The winners of this year’s award were selected for changing the facility culture and aligning practices and services with the current research showing the developmental differences and needs of youths. The leadership in both facilities showed extraordinary dedication to improving their facilities.

"We’re here tonight to recognize individuals and programs who, amidst all the demands of daily operations, budget cuts and shifting priorities, intentionally set out on a path of change to make the facilities they run better for staff, youths and families and who accomplished their goals,' said PbS Li Executive Director Kim Godfrey.

The PbS award was created in 2007 to honor Barbara Allen-Hagen in her retirement from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Barbara’s dedication to improving the quality of life in facilities for young offenders kept PbS' focus on youths for all decisions and innovations and helped drive PbS to its current success. PbS currently is used in 26 states and the District of Columbia and was a winner of the 2004 Innovations in American Government Award from the Ash Institute at Harvard University for providing juvenile justice agencies with an effective and unique self-improvement system. PbS Li has also recently expanded the PbS model of performance evaluation in secure facilities to community residential programs through its Community-based Standards (CbS) program. CbS is currently in being implemented in eight states.

Announcing the 2012 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award Finalists

The PbS Learning Institute is proud to announce the six finalists for the 2012 PbS Barbara Allen Hagen Award, established in 2007 to recognize juvenile facilities that best exemplify the core principal of the Performance-based Standards (PbS) program: facilities operate as if the next child coming in was one of our own. The finalists were selected from more than 30 high-quality applications from facilities across the country that all achieved positive outcomes for youths, staff and families by measuring and monitoring daily practices and services using PbS' national standards and self-improvement process. Two winners will be selected from the group of finalists, one representing correction facilities and one representing detention centers, and announced the week of May 28.

Congratulations to the finalists! Change and reform in youth facilities is a long and difficult task that requires commitment and dedication, which is evident in all PbS participants in the willingness to invest in continuous improvement, be held accountable and ensure facilities are safe, healthy and rehabilitative environments that positively impact young lives

Wednesday, May 2, 2012 at 5:07 PM

2012 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award

Performance-based Standards (PbS) is proud to present the application for the 2012 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award. The award was established in 2007 and is given annually to one detention and one correction facility that best exemplify the PbS underlying principles supported by Ms. Allen-Hagen that facilities provide safe environments for youths and staff that are conducive to learning and changing behavior; and staff and managers treat all youths coming into the facility as if the next child to be admitted was one of their own.

Ms. Allen-Hagen served as the PbS project monitor at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice from 1995 when the project was launched until her retirement May 2006. She was instrumental in obtaining federal support for PbS and was a continuous voice advocating on behalf of youths in the juvenile justice system.

PbS Participants must be logged in to apply. The application can be found under surveys.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 2:00 PM

2011 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award Winners!

2011 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award Winners!

Performance-based Standards are pleased to announce the results for this years’ Barbara Allen-Hagen Award. In the 5th year of the award, 32 applications were submitted from facilities across the county. .

The award will be presented at the site of the 2011 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) National Conference on Oct. 12, 2011 in National Harbor, MD.

The 2011 Barbara Allen-Hagen Award Winners:

Assessment
North Dakota YAC, Mandan, ND

Corrections
Camp Summit Juvenile Boot Camp, Laporte, IN

Detention
Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility, Sacramento, CA

Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 10:40 AM

Congratulations to the PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award Finalists!

PbS is pleased to announce the nine finalists for the 5th annual PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award for 2011. 32 applications from 16 states applied for the award, the most yet in the award's five-year history.